“raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
brown paper packages tied up with strings
these are a few of my favourite things…”

– Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music

I love this song from the classic musical The Sound of Music! I sing it to cheer myself up when I need cheering and to remind myself of my blessings. Every time I sing it I end up wondering what my favourite things are.

Oh I can think of things, like enjoying a cup of coffee with my daughter. (I remember when I was younger and my mother couldn’t wait until I started drinking coffee. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I do now.) And I can think of things like eating my breakfast outside on the back patio in the early-morning freshness of a summer morning, my husband smiling and soaking it all in with me. I think of a Saturday morning touring garage sales with my son. And of course, any time the four of us were together was cause for a celebration – my all time favourite thing.

But none of these are actually “things”. They’re rituals. So I dug deeper.

Books! I love it when I have a great (thick) book of fiction on the go – just knowing it’s waiting for me, ready whenever I have time to curl up with it and enjoy. I love preparing for a dinner party, or any kind of entertaining.

These aren’t things either. They are anticipations.

What are my favourite things? Okay, I’ve got a few:

• The blue opal silver ring I bought on my trip to Greece with my daughter
• The carved wooden dolphin pendant my son bought for me in Cuba
• Pewter-framed photos of my family sprinkled across my desk
• A tall cool glass of iced-coffee either at home or at any cafe, preferably at an outside table
• The fresh smell of laundry coming off the clothesline
• New journals, waiting to capture the next chapters of my life
• The smell of fresh-cut grass in the summer, and the fragrance of the forest in the fall

What are your favourite things, anticipations, rituals?

photo credit: Parvin